Honey Balsamic Chicken

This recipe is courtesy of Budget Bytes!

Another quick dinner recipe that is yummy and can go with all sorts of things! Toss some vegetables with the chicken, too, and it's doubly good (if you like vegetables; I don't).

Ingredients

2 medium chicken breasts

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp honey

Directions

1. Slice the chicken into six diagonal strips. Place the strips in a ziplock bag with the 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients all together and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil on a skillet over medium heat. Cook the strips until browned on both sides. Remove chicken onto a plate.
3. Turn the heat to low. Add the butter and remaining 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Stir everything up in the skillet. Add the honey, increase the heat, and let the sauce simmer until thick (approx. 5 minutes).
4. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the chicken back into the skillet and toss until coated. Toss in vegetables for extra yummy and serve with rice!

Blackened Cajun Chicken

This recipe is courtesy of Flavor Mosaic!

Obviously this is with some side dishes (which I will post recipes to later): Brazilian cheese bread and roasted sweet potatoes. I also served the blackened chicken with avocado cream sauce.

Ingredients (for Cajun chicken)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions (for Cajun chicken)

1. In a small bowl, stir together the first 9 ingredients.
2. Halve your chicken breasts, then spray each side with cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle chicken with the spices (an easier way is to put the spices in a plastic bag, then throw the chicken in and shake it around a bit).
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the chicken cook for 8 minutes, then flip it onto the other side and let cook for another 8 minutes. You want the sides to be blackened.

Ingredients (for avocado cream sauce)

1/3 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 avocado, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions (for avocado cream sauce)

1. Throw it all in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

This recipe is courtesy of SkinnyMom!

White Wine Chicken

This recipe is courtesy of Happy Wives Club!

I paired this delicious recipe with garlic knots and a bed of fettuccine. It's very filling, very yummy, and pretty quick to make, too!

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless chicken breasts

1 cup olive oil

1 cup flour

1 stick butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp parsley, chopped

1 lemon

5 oz white wine (I used Barefoot Charbonney)

3 chicken bouillon cubes (the original recipe calls for 6; 3 is just fine unless you want it really salty)

Directions:

- In a shallow bowl, dip the chicken breasts in flour, until they're lightly coated. Dust off any excess.

- Cut lemon in half and juice one of the slices. Cut the other half into wedges and set aside.

- Pour olive oil into a large skillet until it coats the bottom and heat over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook until it turns white, but not totally cooked through. Remove the chicken and place on a separate plate.

- Lower the heat and add the parsley and garlic. When the garlic turns transparent, add the butter, wine, and lemon juice. Let it simmer on low heat.

- In a container with a lid, add 10 oz of hot water and the bouillon cubes. Shake vigorously (the bouillon cubes don't have to be completely melted). Add 2 tbsp of flour, then shake vigorously again. Add this mixture to the skillet.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

- Put the chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce over it.

- Bake chicken for 20-30 minutes.

- Serve with pasta! Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and squeeze a lemon slice over it all.

Indian Meatballs With Curry Coconut Sauce

This recipe is courtesy of Culinary Ginger!

My culinary adventures continue! This week, I tried my hand at an Indian dish - meatballs with curry coconut sauce. These are meant to be an appetizer, but I paired it with jasmine rice and naan bread, which made for a very satisfying dinner.

Ingredients: for curry sauce

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder (I used hot curry powder to make it spicier)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can coconut milk (coconut cream adds extra richness)
- pinch of salt

Instructions: for curry sauce

- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute.
- Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- And the coconut milk (or cream) and stir well, cooking for 3 minutes until thickened.
- Throw in a pinch of salt to add a tad bit of flavor.
- Transfer to a bowl and put on a hot plate, or continue to cook over very low heat, to keep warm.

Ingredients: for the meatballs

- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 onion, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon mint leaves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions: for the meatballs

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Put all of the meatball ingredients in a food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Don't over process or the meat will turn gummy
- Line baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray.
- Scoop some of the meat mixture out and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. You can use a cookie scoop; I just used a regular spoon and shaped it with my hands. It's sticky, so this can be a messy process.
- Brush the tops with some olive oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Once they're done, insert a toothpick and dunk them in the curry sauce.

Lime Cilantro Chicken

This recipe is courtesy of InspiredDreamer!

Last Sunday, I decided to start back into cooking and baking on a regular basis. My mum is more than happy with this decision, of course, as it gives her an excuse to teach me all her tricks - and it also gives her a night off from cooking. ;-)

This quickie recipe was discovered on Pinterest. Follow the link above to visit the person's website who was so kind to share this recipe! Combined with jasmine rice and this was the perfect quick dinner recipe. It's also great for lunches or a healthy snack!

Ingredients

- boneless chicken, 3 breasts

- 3 or 4 limes

- 4 to 6 garlic cloves

- olive oil

- cumin

- cayenne or chili powder (chili powder tastes better with the cumin)

- 1/4 snipped cilantro

- avocado (optional)

Directions

1. Mince the garlic, snip the cilantro and zest a lime. Juice the lime carcass along with 2 more limes. Cut the lime into wedges. If you're adding the avocado, slice it, too. These will serve as garnish.
2. Cube the chicken.
3. Pour just enough olive oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom. Heat it over medium-high heat until it's very hot, almost smoking. Add the chicken and let it cook undisturbed.
4. Once the chicken is browned nicely on the bottom, sprinkle it generously with cumin and chili powder (essentially, add as much or as little as you want; to taste). Let it cook another minute or 2, until the white line has moved about halfway through the pieces.
5. Turn the chicken and let it cook another couple of minutes, long enough to brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and lime zest. Stir it a little and let cook for another 2 minutes, but don't let the garlic burn.
6. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the lime juice and stir everything up.
7. Garnish with the cilantro and serve up with some jasmine rice or anything with your choice!